


In the Eye of the Beholder

by Draycevixen



Category: The Professionals
Genre: Christmas, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 15:12:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5631148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draycevixen/pseuds/Draycevixen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I offered 12 days of ficlets to my friends. </p><p>PFL prompted: <i>Realizing how lucky they are, even though others might be baffled.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Eye of the Beholder

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PFL (msmoat)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/msmoat/gifts).



"Thanks, love, this'll do."

They could hear heels clicking and chairs scraping as some women sat down at the next table. 

"Christ, Betty, I've never been so glad to sit down."

"We were lucky, getting the last table. It was awfully nice of Mr. Cowley to give me the morning off to do some Christmas shopping but he still expects me back by one."

" _Mr._ Cowley? Even when he's not here?"

"Walls have ears, Susan, walls have ears."

 

They did indeed but not in exactly the way Betty thought. 

Sat on the other side of the truly hideous and oversized Christmas decorations separating their two tables, Ray silently mouthed 'Betty and Susan' at Bodie who just rolled his eyes in response. 

Ray had to admit it hadn't been one of his smarter moments. 

 

"Like I was saying, Betty, did you see Ray's trousers this morning?"

"How he doesn't do himself a mischief I'll never know."

 

Bodie grinned at Ray.

 

"I know I shouldn't but I fancy him something rotten."

 

It was Ray's turn to grin but only for a moment. 

 

"He's nice enough looking, I suppose, but he's got such a temper on him. The number of times I've had to leave the office because he's been yelling at poor Mr. Cowley."

" _Poor_ Mr. Cowley?"

"You don't know him like I do, Susan." Her tone revealed Betty's fearsome 'guardian at the gate' instinct had been invoked. 

"You're right, I don't. And you're right about Ray as well, of course. Being a sexy beast doesn't make up for his being a ratty bastard."

 

Ray fought the urge to get up and go over to their table. Susan might have a point.

 

"I prefer his partner, anyway. Bodie's dishy."

"C'mon, that Lothario? He's had more women than I've had hot dinners."

"So he'd know what he's doing."

"Betty!" 

It took a while for the two women to stop laughing during which he had sit and watch Bodie preen.

"Not that I'm really interested, mind you. The scenery's much nicer when he's around but he's all bump and go, no substance, and you can't spend all your life horizontal."

 

Bodie drained the last dregs of his pint and stood up. Ray followed him out. 

 

Much later, after a gunfight in Wapping, a dressing down from Cowley and a couple of rounds of vigorous _we survived again_ shagging, Ray was sprawled out in bed, across Bodie's chest, trying to catch his breath. 

"Betty was right." He could feel Bodie tense beneath him. "You do know what you're doing."

Bodie didn't laugh which was never a good sign. 

If you didn't know him really well, and Bodie let so few people get to know him really well, he did come off as all mouth and no trousers. But Ray knew better, knew he could count on him always, knew all the things Bodie might never say to him but showed him in his every action. 

"But she was wrong about everything else, Bodie." 

Bodie's grin would never fail to take his breath away. 

"And I'm your ratty bastard as long as you'll have me."


End file.
